Eppo Bruins rejoins the public debate after stepping down from Ministry of Education

"Concerns about academic freedom have increased since a right-wing government took office in 2024," Bruins writes in his op-ed. "I understand that.’

Bruins was the Minister of Education in this “right-wing” government. The cabinet consisted of the far-right party PVV, the right-wing party VVD, the newcomer NSC, of which Bruins was a member, and the farmers' party, BBB. As a minister, Bruins was responsible for the harsh budget cuts affecting education and science. PVV celebrated those budget cuts as a victory over the “woke” attitude predominant at universities.

Bruins does not mention this, instead writing along general lines: "I have seen first-hand that there are politicians and parties who have strong opinions about certain sciences and who believe that politics should interfere with them. I have always refused to go along with that."

From within
In the article, Bruins attempts to shift the emphasis of the discussion about academic freedom. In his view, threats from within (which he believes lead to suppressed voices and self-censorship) are more important than those from outside. He also believes that academic freedom does not need to be better enshrined in law, as the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) would like.

As an example of this internal threat, he singles out KNAW, which took a stand against cooperation with Israeli institutions. His criticism is that the Academy is bringing political debate into science. One should not tell scientists who they are allowed to collaborate with, he says indirectly. Bruins also served at the helm of the Dutch-Israeli Chamber of Commerce for some time.

Back in the Christian Union
Bruins kept a low profile after stepping down, although he did give an interview to a Christian radio station, in which he looked back on his time in the cabinet. After leaving office, he immediately rejoined the Christian Union, the party for which he had previously served in the House of Representatives. He also remained a member of NSC.

Last June, Bruins demonstrated an interest in external threats to academic freedom, arguing in an interview with HOP that the Minister of Education should be given less power. The interview rubbed VVD up the wrong way.